Efficient bacterial capture by amino-functionalized cellulose monolith

A polyethylenimine-grafted cellulose monolith was developed for efficient bacterial capture in a continuous flow system. The amino-functionalized monolith showed superior capture capacity for high concentration of both gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis) bacteria compared with the unmodified one. The efficiency and structural stability of the monolith were consistent during bacterial filtering at a high flow velocity. Bacteria were observed to be anchored to the skeleton surface of the monolith. The performance was attributed to the well-interconnected porous structure and strong electrostatic interaction with cells, which endowed the large surface area with retention force allowing for the local adhesion of bacteria in a flow process.